Dooley: Warriors bring hush, roar to proud Bulldog nation

In the spotlight

Posted: Saturday, October 11, 2003

By Vince Dooley

Lt. Col. Philip deCamp, a 1984 graduate of the University of Georgia, and Capt. Chris Carter, a 1995 graduate, get an autograph from UGA Athletic Director Vince Dooley prior to a halftime ceremony honoring the two men during last week's football game at Sanford Stadium.

Sanford Stadium was jam packed Oct. 4 with more than 92,000 fans as the Georgia Bulldogs defeated Alabama on a day the 'Dogs came out ready to play. But this game had much more meaning than just what happened during the 60 minutes of football. A halftime ceremony brought as much pride to Sanford Stadium as any football victory I can remember.

Two University of Georgia heroes - Lt. Col. Philip ''Flip'' deCamp, a 1984 graduate, and Capt. Chris Carter, a 1995 graduate - unfurled to an incredible response by fans the same Bulldog flag they raised outside Saddam Hussein's Presidential Palace in Baghdad some five months ago. At that time, deCamp and Carter became the pride of the Bulldog Nation and endeared themselves to Dawg fans everywhere when they appeared on the Fox News Early Morning Show during the liberation of Iraq and displayed the Georgia ''G'' flag and shouted, ''How 'bout them Dawgs!''

Last week, Carter and deCamp were introduced to our team by Coach Richt in the dressing room before the Alabama game and held up the flag to the thunderous roar of our coaches and players. Obviously, it was motivation at its greatest as the Dawgs set a school record with 37 first-half points. (We maybe should have brought them back to the dressing room at halftime!)

During the halftime ceremony, we replayed the Fox news report on our stadium videoboard, and I've never heard Sanford Stadium so silent. At its conclusion, the ovation was overwhelming from both Georgia and Alabama fans for these two Georgia Bulldog heroes. In fact, it was the most impressive series of ovations I've seen for any event in my 40 years.

The two said while they appreciated the tremendous show of support, ''most of all we want everyone to support the troops still there rebuilding the country of Iraq and fighting the war on terrorism.''

The road to Baghdad for these two heroes started some 22 years ago when Col. deCamp created a so-called ''Ranger House'' at 1030 Lumpkin St. across from the UGA Center for Continuing Education building that was inhabited by serious-minded ROTC cadets. It became a tradition for future ROTC cadets to live in the Ranger House. Ironically, the last Ranger to live in the house was Capt. Carter who graduated in 1995, exactly 12 years later. As I drove the two honorees to the stadium, they pointed out the house on Lumpkin and reminisced fondly about their time there.

Both Chris and Flip were assigned to Ft. Stewart's Army base in South Georgia - Col. deCamp commanding a battalion of tank companies and Capt. Carter commanding an infantry company. When the division received the order to deploy to Kuwait, they formed a battalion-sized task force under Col. deCamp, and Capt. Carter's company was attached to the battalion.

Once in Kuwait, Carter set up his tent with all the UGA football news clippings and the famous Bulldog ''G'' flag he would later unfurl, much to the approval of his commanding officer, Col. deCamp.

The spartan brigade combat team attacked Iraq March 20 and moved fast up the west side of the Euphrates River. They seized the bridge over the Euphrates that connects two ancient Babylonian cities, and it was at that time Capt. Carter earned the Silver Star for rescuing an Iraqi woman caught in the cross fire.

As the soldiers continued up the Euphrates, they were given the assignment to attack and secure the presidential palace complex along the Tigris River. After they fought their way through and secured the palace, embedded journalists from Fox News assigned to their battalion were preparing to go live with the news. Both Col. deCamp and Capt. Carter planned to refute the claims of ''Baghdad Bob,'' Iraq's Minister of Information, who had stated earlier that the Americans were not in the city.

Flip did the interview and told people they were standing in front of Saddam Hussein's palace in Baghdad and were there to stay. Shortly thereafter, the two unfurled the Bulldog flag which Carter had carried in his pocket every day for months. As both of them held it, and as any pair of native Georgians and loyal Bulldogs would do, they gave the old ''How 'bout them Dawgs!''

When I heard about this, I immediately called Capt. Carter's mother and Flip deCamp's wife. I wanted to let both of them know how proud we were of them and to tell them when they came home we wanted them to unfurl that same flag in Sanford Stadium at halftime of the Alabama game.

And what has become of that flag? It will fly at Sanford Stadium for each home game the remainder of the season and then be permanently displayed at the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall - a lasting tribute to these great Bulldogs who brought Georgia pride to people around the world.